Celebrities and rich people have different imaginations about social interaction than ordinary people.
Every July, the organizers of the Sun Valley Summit will invite influential people from all over the world to participate. Participants in the 2022 Sun Valley Summit include Facebook CEO Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Cook, and “stock god” Buffett. They have a variety of social activities, including tennis, golf, cycling, swimming, etc. Among them, tennis and golf were once regarded as unique social activities of the upper class.
For ordinary people, the bathroom remains a social place in many countries. The Turkish bathhouse is an important place for the future mother-in-law to choose her daughter-in-law; the Russian bathhouse is a place for Russians to discuss business; in South Korea, the bathhouse is a place for the exchange of feelings between superiors and subordinates; the “naked social” in Japanese sento houses has even entered the language , used to indicate a “completely honest relationship.”
British royal polo social
Members of the British royal family love a wide variety of sports, and there are various sports events in the suburbs of London during the annual social season.
In the 18th century, various social activities in Britain from May to July each year gradually evolved into a social season. During social season, London’s suburbs host a range of social, sporting and cultural events – the Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Regatta and Cowes Regatta, all of which have been held for centuries social events.
In the traditional social season, which reached its peak in the 19th century, almost all members of the two houses of Britain would participate in various activities, and men and women in the upper class who reached marriageable age would also be formally introduced to everyone during this period.
Polo is a compulsory course for many royal children, because polo is considered to be a combination of speed, strategy, technology, thinking and teamwork spirit, and has become one of the hard indicators to measure whether a person is a “true gentleman”. The Royals Polo Club, founded by Prince Philip, hosts international events every year in Windsor Great Park, which is considered to be the most noble sports venue in Europe.
King Charles III of England was passionate about polo when he was still the crown prince. He and Queen Camilla first met at a polo match in 1970. Charles was 22 at the time and heir to the British throne. Camilla was 24 years old and grew up in a wealthy rural family in Sussex. At that time, she had been in the “upper class” in the UK. She was Charles’ good friend and the girlfriend of Royal Cavalry Powells. One Camilla biographer described the young Camilla as “extroverted, cheerful and a bit daring”. The first thing she said when she saw Prince Charles was: “My great-grandmother was your grandfather’s mistress, what do you think will happen to us?
” Paris died together in a car accident, and the two first met at a polo match in Windsor Park in 1986. At that time, the polo team led by Dodi defeated the polo team led by Prince Charles.
Dodi’s father, Mohamed Fayed, is a well-known Egyptian tycoon who not only owns Harrods, but is also a sponsor of the Royal Windsor polo match and shares a box with Queen Elizabeth. Despite this, the British royal family still dislikes the vulgarity of Fayed and his son, and the self-proclaimed British royal family does not look down on the nouveau riche.
The fifth season of the controversial series The Crown reenacted the scene where Mohammad Fayyad sat next to the Queen after sponsoring a football match. The elderly rich man has worked hard for nearly 30 years in order to enter the British upper class represented by this polo match, and the money spent is also astronomical. However, Queen Elizabeth in the play did not want to accompany her, and it would be rude to let Mohammad Fayed watch the game alone, so the queen let Princess Diana sit in her seat.
As a result, Princess Diana and Mohammad Fayed talked and laughed happily, saved the day, and did not offend the big benefactor of the polo match because of the queen’s absence.
The Abe family’s golf diplomacy
In Japan, the golf course is the best place to discuss business, and the head of state also has a soft spot for golf.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was particularly keen on golf, and golf has even become an important means for Abe to develop personal relationships with foreign leaders. In 2020, at the 60th anniversary ceremony for the signing of the “Japan-US Security Treaty” held in Tokyo, Abe joked: “I have played 4 games with Trump, and the score is a state secret.” In November 2016
, Trump had just been elected president of the United States, and Shinzo Abe couldn’t wait to meet with him. He specially ordered a golf club priced at $3,733 for Trump; Trump gave Abe a golf jacket. The talks between the two started with golf, which they both love.
In February 2017, after Trump took office as President of the United States, he arranged his first meeting with Shinzo Abe on his own golf course. The two not only discussed football skills, but also discussed state affairs. Abe said at the press conference: “I look forward to talking with Donald about the future of the world, the future of the region, and the future of Japan and the United States in such a relaxed atmosphere on the golf course tomorrow.” It’s an excellent place. Compared with eating lunch together, you can get to know another person better by playing together.” In
November of this year, the most important itinerary of Trump’s visit to Japan was to find Abe to play. However, what impressed everyone the most about this golf game was the scene of Abe slumping on the golf course that was played over and over again by the major media. Trump later joked: “Mr. Abe is a good golfer, and he is also a first-class gymnast. Look at the softness.” Abe took up the conversation: “Diplomacy depends on softness.” Using golf to win over the President of the United
States , can be said to be the tradition of the Abe family. In 1957, when Shinzo Abe’s grandfather Nobusuke Kishi visited the United States, he played a round of golf with then-President Eisenhower. Not long after the game was over, the “Japan-US Security Treaty” was revised. A small white ball has done a lot to strengthen the personal relationship between the two leaders.
wash out friendship
Compared with social events such as golf and polo, which have a strong atmosphere of “high society”, public bathrooms filled with steam seem to be social occasions regardless of country or social class. Bathroom culture not only spreads in cold high-latitude countries such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Finland, but also prevails in low-latitude hot countries like Turkey.
In Russia, the steam bath called “Banya” has deeply affected people’s lives. “Bathing regenerates” is a well-known Russian proverb, which comes from people’s personal experience of being reborn after a steam bath.
During the tsarist period, the bathroom took on the function of welcoming distinguished guests or envoys from afar. This is one of the most solemn etiquettes, just like Russians present bread and salt by girls in national costumes. Before the Russian Revolution, steam baths had become a social place for ordinary people. Some public baths also opened restaurants, held concerts, and provided laundry and ironing services for guests.
Located in the center of Moscow, “Sanduni” is the most famous and oldest bath in Russia, with a history of more than 200 years. When it first opened, Sanduni became a sensation in the upper class because of its bright hall, comfortable sofas and experienced waiters, and became a noble club. Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Chekhov were once the owners of Sanduni baths. regulars.
The life of a Turk is also inseparable from the bathroom called “Haman”. There is even a saying in Turkey that “if you don’t go to the baths, you will look ugly”. There will be a “40-day bath” 40 days after the baby is born, a “bridal bath” before the bride’s marriage, and a “wiping away tears bath” 20 days after the death of a loved one. These rituals in the bath have become part of Muslim life.
The baths in Turkey have integrated the bath culture of the Romans, and also made the design of the baths more in line with the concept of Islam. For example, for Muslims, clean water must flow, so Turkish baths will not be soaked in a pool of still water, but with constantly flowing water.
On the one hand, the baths meet the religious needs of the Turks, because everyone needs to cleanse themselves before worship; on the other hand, the baths also meet the social needs of the Turks. Turkish men and women will arrange blind dates in the baths. The men and women on the blind date chat in the bath, and if both parties feel good, they will continue to communicate. Whether on a grassy golf course or a steamy steam room, people seem to regard sweating profusely as a necessary condition for building and strengthening relationships. Perhaps it is when people are sweating profusely that people relax physically and mentally, and the vigilance and offense and defense between people can be temporarily put aside.
Especially in the bathroom, human beings are more aware that socializing does not require too much red tape, but a naked meeting like the beginning of life.
